Verse 14

Yagyavalkya

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

मांसपाञ्चालिकायास्तु यन्त्रलोकेऽङ्गपञ्जरे । स्नाय्वस्थिग्रन्थिशालिन्यः स्त्रियः किमिव शोभनम् ॥१४॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

मांस-पाञ्चालिकायाः । तु । यन्त्र-लोके । अङ्ग-पञ्जरे । स्नायु-अस्थि-ग्रन्थि-शालिन्यः । स्त्रियः । किम् । इव । शोभनम् ॥१४॥

IAST Transliteration

māṃsa-pāñcālikāyās tu yantraloke 'ṅga-pañjare | snāyv-asthi-granthi-śālinyaḥ striyaḥ kim iva śobhanam ||14||

Translation

Mais dans ce monde mécanique—dans la cage des membres—de cette marionnette de chair, pourvue de nœuds de nerfs et d’os, qu’est-ce donc que l’on appelle « beauté » chez les femmes ?

Academic Translation

But in the mechanical world—within the cage of limbs—of this puppet of flesh, furnished with knots of sinews and bones, what indeed is ‘beauty’ in women?

Verse Context

• Vairāgya (dispassion); deha-ātma-bhrānti correction; śarīra as yantra (instrument)
• Mahavakya: No direct mahāvākya; serves as preparatory teaching (sādhana-catuṣṭaya: vairāgya) supporting realization implied by ‘ahaṃ brahmāsmi’
• Yajur
• Śukla-Yajurveda (Vājasaneyī) — traditional later classification for the Yājñavalkya Upaniṣad Shakha
• Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (śloka)